On 9/19/26 03:38, Chris Jölly wrote:
Hello,
since a while I am experiencing rather big changes in volume/loudness
when I listening to Soundcloud or Youtube audio.
I can not correlate this to a specific moment or change on my system
(forky).
I tried the same tracks on different devices, Android phone, Windows 11,
different browsers. But it happens only on my machine. And not always on
the same tracks, that it might be an issue related to some loudness
adjustment algorythms on the streaming service.
I am using Pipewire 1.6.8, outputting both to cabled and bluetooth
speakers.
What can be the root cause for this behaviour?
Thanks for any hint!
I use Firefox with the free "Audio Compressor" extension by vatara. It
works reasonably well for speech:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/audio-compressor/
But traditional compressors disproportionately reduce high-frequency
components, which adversely affects timbre and clarity. For critical
listening, I turn off all signal processing and manually adjust the gain
at each stage in the signal chain.
Linux audio has evolved over the years. This Arch Linux wiki page
identifies the several subsystem choices. Beware that they can be
mutually exclusive:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Sound_system
Alternatively, STFW "Linux digital audio workstation".
https://html.duckduckgo.com/html?q=linux%20digital%20audio%20workstation
When using analog audio devices, ensure that the impedance is matched
for all devices in the signal chain. The "Line Out" jacks found on the
back panels of most desktop computers are typically designed for 10 kOhm
impedance, such as the "Line In" jacks of powered computer speakers. If
I connect 32 Ohm headphones or 8 Ohm loudspeakers to a "Line Out" jack,
the impedance is mismatched, the operational amplifiers in the computer
cannot supply the required current, the signal distorts and clips, and
the sound is terrible. Headphones require a "Headphone Out" jack or a
headphone amplifier. Loudspeakers require a power amplifier.
David
